Modern Vintage Shop & Social

A friend at work sent me a link for this event last week hosted by Quarter Life: The Beltway's Best Vintage and Thrift. When I saw that the event involved food, other vintage lovers, and shopping, I immediately took the day off of work so I could go. 

Never mind that it was in an area that I'd never heard of. Never mind that I've rarely ventured in DC outside of the monuments and museums. Also, never mind that I had never navigated the Metro by myself nor was I about to drive right into the city during rush hour. Ah, but minor details!

The rain almost turned me into a bum that day, but I wasn't about to waste a vacation day sitting in sweatpants perusing Pintrest. So I put on one of my favorite vintage dresses, slipped into my red rain boots, and decided I was going, gosh darnit!

My genius plan was to drive to Alexandria and park there to ride the Metro to Capitol Heights. After trying three separate stops until I finally found one with parking, I clomped in and got my adventure off to a great start by accidently putting twenty dollars on a fare card. Again, minor detail. I would use it for all the future trips I would make into the city. The trip itself was surprisingly smooth, and I arrived at Nana with plenty of time to spare. 

In fact, I was that awkward first person to the party.

But the gals at the shop were so sweet and welcoming, and Miss Lisa and I discovered a Pennsylvania connection almost right away. Not to mention the place was adorable, and they had cookies...and beer...and hummus...and cucumber sandwich things. 

Rockin' the rain boots. Photo by Lisa.

People starting trickling in and soon the place was abuzz with new and old friends and vintage lovers squealing over all the fabulous clothes and jewelry. The best thing about being at an event with fellow bloggers was that you could pull your camera out and start snapping photos and there were no weird looks.

Overall, it was a great time and I made some new friends (hey Thrift and Style, Tulle and Combat Boots, and Naja Diamond!) And I walked away with a lovely new purse--photos coming soon.

I left with a little extra bounce in my rain boot step, arrived at the Metro to go home, and realized that I lost the fare card. Which still had 17 bucks on it. I hiked back to the shop with no luck, and back to the station to buy a new one. 

So, you're welcome whoever found a free gift on the ground.

I would say it was worth it.

Just Like New

As you may or may not know, this blog originally started out as a place for me to document some of my favorite thrift store finds (some of my favorites are here, here, and here!) but over time, has developed into more of an over-all lifestyle blog. Obviously there ain't nothing wrong with that! But between the crazyness of wedding planning, moving, working, and just life in general, the thrift store trips have been sparse; although I have checked out a few in our area, I haven't really hit any jackpots yet. And the Goodwill store near us is EXPENSIVE. I mean, ten dollars for a dress? Really?

So sometimes I gotta do the next best thing--shop my closet. You know, dig into the depths for things that you forgot about, grew out of, or just never wore. Bonus points if it's a thrift store find to begin with, because that means you didn't waste much money on it!

Take, for example, this red polka-dot shirt. 

Never mind the awkward self-portrait pose. Truth be told, I would of used my brand new tripod but I was running late for work and simply had to capture this good hair day.

I think I bought this shirt at the State College Goodwill because I loved the pattern, loved the color, and loved the little poof in the shoulders. However, the fabric is AWFUL. As in, 100% polyester. Which meant that wearing for anything other than sitting in an office at a computer all day is pretty much out of the question, considering every movement induces pit stains.

But for a day at work, paired with a lovely vintage necklace and a belt? It's like it's a brand new outfit!

Love!